is this a good idea for in-laws christmas present?

[theghastlyspectreoflissielou]

dh is joining the RAF in january and in-laws are elderly and dont drive, so i thought a seniors railcard would be a good idea for them. that way they can come with ds and i to visit dh in training, then when we get the posting they can visit us wherever we are, and it wont cost a fortune. what do you think? good or offensive

Good. Thoughtful.

thanks, i wasnt sure if it would be a bit tight-fisted, but i figure its a present that they will find very useful all year, rather than a pair of socks/scarf/jumper

I agree. I think all parents love presents which bring them closer to their children! Put it in a nice card and wrap the envelope in paper and write in the card suggestions of all the places they could use it to go to. I'd love a present like that. Fancy helping me with all my presents this year?!

oooh thats a lovely idea!

and lol, im usually rubbish with adult pressies. SIL and BIL are v, v well off so i end up getting them a nice pic of the dc's (one that ive taken). last year i did a montage for all the parents of family pics. so for in laws it was pics of us, SIL's family and all the kids, for my mum it was us and my DB's, for dad it was us and all his dc's. they loved it (and only £6 each from snapfish)

See now that's brilliant! Call yourself rubbish at presents, pah! A v close friend once made a notebook for me - she asked me cryptically for: fave place, fave thing to look at, something which makes me smile, something which makes me relax, etc etc. Then she got pics of all the above and stuck it on notebook. I just love it; it's so special. Presents like that are the best.

when i was 18 my best friend filled a photo album with pics of us, ticket stubs from a concert, magazine clippings about things we were talking about, pics of my first crush etc, etc topped off with a note telling me what a great friend i was and that she loved me like a sister. i still have it now, its v precious to me.

That's so lovely. On my 18th I was given a bowl with 18 items in it, each one relevant to my history with this friend (eg popping candy, a skipping rope, a friendship bracelet etc). So thoughtful. Hey this is useful actually, I'm getting loads of ideas for Christmas presents!

oh that sounds lovely!

Awww. For my 18th my parents bought me a cuddly toy marmot on skis with a fluorescent yellow beanie
Needless to say they did admit they'd forgotten it was going to be my birthday while we were on holiday and that was the best the local touristy shop had to offer

But back to the OP, I think it's a nice idea, as long as you include a note about your intentions for it so they realise you've put thought into it... Any chance of booking their first set of tickets to you too?

Bubba that's great! Memorable at least. Good idea re the booking first set of tickets too.

oooh good idea! MIL's birthday is in jan so could book little B&B too

Oh you are going to get serious Brownie points for all this

thats the plan, im thinking lots of childcare and cooked dinners while dh is training

Hee hee good thinking

What's the logistics/legality of you getting it on her behalf?

i shall ask at the local train station, no doubt if i have a copy of her pension credit paperwork etc they will be able to do it.

I think that is a lovely idea. Go for it!

Let me know - thinking of pinching your idea. It's either that or a skiing marmot

ooo skiing marmot!!!

well, spoken to rail staff and i can get them at the station as long as i take proof of their age along, so have to sneak out their pension credits paperwork!!